WORCESTER — Stability and continuity have long been a hallmark at City Hall when it comes to the chief executive's position.

Since 1950, when Worcester changed to the council-manager form of government, the city has had just five city managers: Everett F. Merrill (1950-1951), Francis J. McGrath (1951-1985), William J. Mulford (1985-1993), Thomas R. Hoover (1993-2004) and Michael V. O'Brien (2004-present).

But in light of recent developments, sparked by Mr. O'Brien's recent decision to leave City Hall to take a job in the private sector, that stability and continuity could be challenged, as Worcester is expected to have three different city managers next year alone.

With Mr. O'Brien planning to leave Jan. 5, the City Council has appointed former state Sen. Edward M. Augustus Jr. to succeed him for a period of nine months, effective Jan. 6.

The council appointed Mr. Augustus for just a nine-month period so it can have time to conduct a thorough search for a permanent appointment for the city manager's job.

Mr. Augustus also surprised some folks at City Hall Tuesday when he made it known that he will not be a candidate for the permanent appointment.

He said he will serve as city manager for nine months, and then go back to the College of the Holy Cross, where he directs its office of government and community relations.

His decision, in effect, means that after Mr. Augustus' nine-month stint as an interim city manager is completed, yet another person will move into the manager's third-floor office in City Hall.

In Worcester, such turnover in its chief executive's position is unprecedented.

But even though there will be somewhat of a revolving door at the city manager's office next year, Mr. Augustus said he is committed to doing everything he can during his tenure to keep the momentum started by Mr. O'Brien moving forward.

He also promised that he will be anything but a caretaker of the city manager's position for nine months.

He said he intends to work closely with Mr. O'Brien and the management team within his administration to assure stability, continuity and continued progress. Given that, it does not appear that Mr. Augustus has any plans of going into City Hall and making wholesale changes in key administration positions.

Mr. O'Brien said that is very reassuring to the entire city team and will go a long way toward maintaining continuity and stability at City Hall.

"There will be a learning curve of all we do: getting to know the entire, talented city team, all municipal services, municipal governances, laws, rules, ordinances, systems and processes," Mr. O'Brien said. "It is a big job but (Mr. Augustus) is quite capable. His qualities can keep that curve timeline to a minimum."

Timothy P. Murray, chief executive officer of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, said Wednesday the local business community is not concerned about the unprecedented turnover that will be occurring in the city manager's office.

He said the business community supports the actions of Mayor Joseph M. Petty and the City Council to have Mr. Augustus serve as city manager for nine months, so it can have time to conduct a thorough search for a permanent appointment.

Mr. Murray said many local business people also has confidence in the job Mr. Augustus will do in the interim, because of his past track record and the relationships he has built with them when he served as state senator and chief of staff for U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester.

"Many in the business community feel very comfortable with this process," he said.

District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri agreed that Mr. Augustus will be able to bridge the tenures between Mr. O'Brien and the eventual permanent appointment in a seamless manner.

He said if the City Council had appointed someone from within the city administration to serve as acting city manager it likely would have led to instability at City Hall because it likely would have significantly impacted the job that person now does.

"I've always believed that stability is very important to municipal government," Mr. Palmieri said. "Ed Augustus is someone who has served in government and knows and understands how government works. This city will not miss a beat with him as city manager while we go through the search process for a permanent successor."

Mr. Augustus said he would not have accepted the job offer if he felt he was going to be a lame duck. Indeed, Mr. Augustus will have a lot on his plate when he moves into the city manager's office.

Among the many important things he will have to deal with include the planned next phase of development for CitySquare which includes the construction of a 150-room hotel and a 350-unit, market-rate residential development; the long-hoped build out of the South Worcester Industrial Park; and competing for state dollars to fund various school building projects.

He will also likely appoint the next chief development officer to succeed Timothy J. McGourthy, who is leaving in February to head up the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, as well as naming a permanent successor to Joel Fontane, who stepped down in September as head of the city's Division of Planning and Regulatory Services.

And if that isn't enough, Mr. Augustus will also be submitting to the council this spring a fiscal 2015 municipal budget proposal.

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